Bai Xiaoyun was also a person of considerable standing and had naturally heard of Ninth Master Li's renown.
He was the kind of man who could make the empire's economy tremble thrice with a mere stomp of his foot.
For a moment, she realized the Bai Family had used her. She was so angry she nearly lost control of her expression!
An Zhongbo's mind raced. He replayed everything he had heard about Li Tianyao in his mind, over and over. Ultimately, he concluded that this man must have been captivated by his daughter's beauty. But how long could beauty last? What would happen to his daughter once Li Tianyao grew tired of her?
An Zhongbo, filled with apprehension, politely invited Li Tianyao into his home.
Inside the hall, he offered Li Tianyao the seat of honor. He drew An Yan to sit beside him and cautiously began,
"Head of the Li Family, thank you for helping An Yan out of a difficult situation today. This child has lived in the countryside for years and hasn't seen much of the world."
"She was provoked by that scumbag Lin Shang, which is why she rashly involved you."
"It's all due to her ignorance! Please, don't take it to heart."
Li Tianyao's expression darkened slightly, his deep eyes thoughtful, carrying a hint of profound indifference.
"What do you mean by this, Mr. An?"
An Zhongbo's expression changed.
"Head of the Li Family, when two people are together, compatibility in temperament and character are just as important as appearance. It's inappropriate to make a hasty decision based on a single meeting without proper understanding."
Li Tianyao's previously calm eyes narrowed slightly, his voice turning as cold as encroaching ice:
"Are you opposing our being together, Mr. An?"
The atmosphere in the hall instantly dropped to a freezing point.
An Zhongbo's face also turned cold.
Even if the Li Family was overwhelmingly powerful, even if Ninth Master Li's reputation was formidable, their An Family was not one to be bullied by just anyone!
The gazes of the older and younger man met mid-air, neither willing to back down an inch.
An Yan watched them both, deep in thought.
There was no need to elaborate on Li Tianyao; after spending over an hour with him, one word came to mind: formidable! As for her father, An Yan honestly didn't feel much affection for him. She had been young when she left home and had seen him only a few times over the years. But seeing him stand up to Li Tianyao to protect her... it felt surprisingly good!
Bai Xiaoyun was so excited internally she almost laughed out loud. Only a complete fool like An Zhongbo would push away such an excellent match as Li Tianyao. She desperately wanted to add fuel to the fire but ultimately held back, fearing she might try to gain an advantage only to end up offending Li Tianyao.
However, while she restrained herself, she surreptitiously sent a message to her daughter, An Shimeng. She asked her to come down and show her face before Ninth Master.
If Ninth Master took a liking to An Shimeng, would she and her daughter still need to rely on that blockhead An Zhongbo for their livelihood?
A few minutes later, An Shimeng came downstairs. At 163 centimeters tall, dressed in a cute, designer dress, she looked exceptionally charming.
She deftly sat on An Zhongbo's other side, looped her arm through his, and said in a sweet, delicate voice,
"Dad, please don't be angry. Although Sister has a new fiancé, it's clear that Mr. Li is far superior to that Lin Shang."
"If Sister marries well, it will benefit our family too."
"So please, don't oppose it, alright?"
Inwardly, Bai Xiaoyun gave An Shimeng a thumbs-up. Her daughter had never disappointed her. After these words, An Zhongbo would surely become even angrier. He was a diehard who valued his children above all else! If it hadn't been for her schemes back then, she never would have won him over.
Sure enough, An Zhongbo unhappily pulled his arm away and said coldly,
"The An Family does not need to rely on marriage alliances for its development."
Li Tianyao's expression immediately darkened.
An Zhongbo continued, enduring the pressure,
"When my daughter chooses a man, it will be because they share the same values, not because of his illustrious family background or handsome appearance!"
An Shimeng quickly grabbed An Zhongbo's arm again.
"Dad, please calm down! Don't ruin your health by getting so angry."
"You need to think about it. This is the man Sister has chosen, and Sister understands him far better than we do. We should listen to Sister's opinion, shouldn't we?"
After speaking, she looked anxiously at An Yan.
"Sister, Dad is so angry. You should say something."
"Quick, tell him you didn't choose this gentleman because of his family background or looks, but because… because…"
"Was it love? A heart-fluttering moment? Or love at first sight? Oh, Sister, quickly say something!"
An Yan smiled.
This blatant prompting seemed to be helping her on the surface. But if she actually chose one of those reasons, wouldn't Dad just think she was merely placating him and get even angrier? Her stepsister had truly inherited her mother's cunning! Every word was laced with ill intent!
Crucially, at this moment, Li Tianyao's attention had also shifted to her, and he was watching her with keen interest.
An Yan stated frankly,
"I chose him because he was the best-looking of all the men present at the time!"
"What I, An Yan, want is, of course, the best man. And Mr. Li fulfills all my fantasies of 'the best,' in terms of both looks and ability!"
The man's lips curved slightly; he was satisfied.
An Zhongbo frowned as he looked at An Yan. His daughter certainly deserved the best man. The logic was sound! Consider this: among all the men in the country, was there anyone more outstanding than Li Tianyao? It seemed not!
After hesitating for a long moment, An Zhongbo said,
"Then… Dad will respect your decision?"
Bai Xiaoyun was speechless. Wait, how could you respect her decision so easily? Didn't you say you wouldn't consider family background or appearance? How can you go back on your word?
Li Tianyao's lips curved into a faint smile.
"Since President An agrees, let's set a wedding date!"
His words shocked everyone present.
An Yan was the first to react.
"Wait a minute! Mr. Li, isn't it a bit much to talk about marriage when we've just met?"
An Zhongbo also came to his senses.
"Ah, yes, Head of the Li Family. An engagement is fine, but shouldn't we be more cautious about marriage?"
Li Tianyao tilted his chin up slightly, his profound gaze shining from beneath slightly lowered eyelids, his voice cold.
"And how, precisely, would you like to be 'more cautious'?"
The air suddenly grew colder.
The intangible pressure made An Zhongbo subconsciously want to yield to all his demands.
But since it concerned his daughter's happiness, he resisted the pressure and said,
"At the very least, you should spend some time together first to get to know each other, shouldn't you?"
An Yan turned her head, her cool gaze meeting Li Tianyao's directly.
"My dad is right!"
The evenly matched confrontation caused a flicker of displeasure in Li Tianyao's amber eyes.
After a moment, his thin lips parted, and he said nonchalantly,
"Fine. Then let's spend some time together first."
An Yan inwardly sighed with relief.
It was strange; why did she always feel like she didn't have the upper hand when facing Li Tianyao? And this Li Tianyao, already addressed with such respect, why would he agree to the proposal of a simple village girl like her? And why was he in such a hurry to get married? However, judging by his complexion, he seemed perfectly healthy; it wasn't a case of being terminally ill and rushing to leave an heir. She regretted not taking the opportunity to check his pulse when she had grabbed his hand earlier.
With this thought in mind, as she was seeing Li Tianyao out, An Yan decisively grabbed his wrist.
He paused, his gaze fixing on her hand.
"I saw on TV that boyfriends and girlfriends are supposed to hold hands," An Yan explained coolly.
Li Tianyao scoffed.
Although he didn't know what kind of television shows she watched, he certainly knew that 'holding hands' meant holding the actual hand! This young lady was clearly holding his wrist! Moreover, she was using her index, middle, and ring fingers—precisely over his pulse point.